No Muscle Left Behind ~ Interval Circuit Workout!

Posted on March 27, 2014

I wanted to hit every major target area: glutes, abs, quads, hammies, triceps, shoulders, chest…but I also wanted to torch some calories! And as you might have figured out by now, I’m all about multi-tasking. Using multiple muscle groups simultaneously means your heart has to work harder, more energy is required, so your metabolism is elevated, which means more calories are burned! Win-Win.

Since becoming a personal trainer, I have developed a great appreciation for workout design. It wasn’t until I was faced with teaching a group class on my own, that I realized that there’s actually a lot of thought that goes into it. And this workout is no different. I had your heart rate in mind, you may notice I take your HR up and down between medium intensity to high intensity – build your muscles and cardiovascular endurance! Pretty clever huh? 😉

No Muscle Left Behind ~ Interval Circuit Workout!

5 Sets interval cycles (number of moves)45 seconds of work (High)15 seconds of rest (Low)
set the repeat option to “ON” for 5 cycles.

Also, make sure you set the warm-up and cool-down to 0:00 otherwise it will repeat these each time you go to do your next round!

Each round is 5 mins. You can pause your Interval Timer App (free) and take a quick drink of water and then quickly get going onto the next round. If you take about 20 secs rest in between each round, you should complete the workout in just under 27 minutes!

Spider-Woman Push-up:
Assume the standard pushup position. As you lower your body toward the floor, draw your right knee up, bringing your foot out to your right side (think: the position you’d be in if you were scaling the side of a rock face). From this position perform a push-up, keeping your belly button pulled in towards your spine (which ensures your hips stay in proper alignment, core is engaged, and there is no tension on your lower back). Return your right foot to the starting position. Repeat on the opposite side. That’s 1 rep. Continue to alternate back and forth.

Plank Inchworm Jumps:
Stand with your feet hip distance apart. First, get yourself organized: booty cheeks squeezed together, belly button is pulled in towards your spine, hips pressed forward. From this position, bend from the hip and walk your hands out in front of you into a palm-plank (keeping your wrists in-line and under your shoulders). Come down into a forearm plank. Return to a palm plank and walk your hands back to your feet; stand up and jump up. That is 1 rep. You’ve got this, now keep going for the full 45 secs!! Maintaining your core, keeping your belly-button pulled in towards your spine!! 🙂

Glute Bridge Calf Raises:
Lie down on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the floor. Raise your hips up, squeezing those glutes – so your lower back is off the floor. Then, maintaining your bridge position, with control lift and lower your heels off the floor (keeping your hips elevated throughout the exercise)!

Ice skaters (phase 1):
Start standing on one leg. Powerfully hop from side to side, switching legs as if you were hopping over a puddle or speed skating, lowering your body down to do so.